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Local berry growers are worried a hepatitis A scare linked to imported fruit could accidentally put people off local produce.
Twelve cases of hepatitis A prompted Foodstuffs to recall some Pams frozen berry products while government food safety specialist investigated into the source of the illness.
Ministry for Primary Industries yesterday said frozen Serbian berries were under investigation because of a possible link.
Deputy general of New Zealand food safety Vincent Arbuckle said eight of the 12 cases were linked by genetic sequencing, meaning they were likely exposed to the same source of the virus.
Local producers are worried consumers may not pick up on the difference between locally-produced fresh and frozen products and those imported from overseas.
Northland berry grower Patrick Malley told Checkpoint consumers should have confidence in locally grown fresh and frozen products.
Waikato's Sunrise Berries managing director Todd Feather reassured consumers that New Zealand's food safety was of a high standard.
He said berry plants could pick up diseases through bad farming practices, but care was taken to ensure that doesn't happen here.
Feather said his staff monitored the crop everyday and regular tests were carried out to detect harsh pathogens.
Although New Zealand produces its own berries, most are eaten fresh, while the frozen supply comes in from overseas.
Malley said there was a need to import berries from overseas because of the cost difference.
He said: "It's cheaper to grow berries [that are frozen] over in Serbia, than it is for us grow fresh berries and have some of them go into the frozen market. And that's just the nature of things."
Feather said berries imported from Chile, China and Eastern Europe could be sold in the frozen market due to their low labour costs.
New Zealand Food Safety said tracing the illness back to specific products was a challenging process, especially as Hepatitis A had a long incubation period of up to 50 days.
People were being warned to continue cooking frozen imported berries as a precaution, while the investigation continued.
Foodstuffs spokesperson said customers who had already bought the berries should boil them or return them to the store to get a full refund.